And it is the first opportunity for undefeated North Melbourne to stake its claim as a genuine contender, rather than a pretender, up against one of the best sides in the competition.

The Roos have flayed every side put in front of it this season, putting them on a nine game winning streak and two games clear at the stop of the ladder.

But the Swannies will be out to continue their run of beating contenders after taking out Hawthorn last week.

A key figure in their efforts to secure a top four spot has been the stunning revitalisation of Lance “Buddy” Franklin.

Franklin has had 18 or more disposals in seven of nine matches this season. He’s a ball magnet who was one of the match winners against the Hawks, one of his three goals – a massive 70 metre bomb – coming against the run of play, giving the Swans a buffer that would prove match defining.

Some say the gun is already in the form of his life and, with the Indigenous Round clash adding even more motivation to the match, we reckon he is set to tear it apart.

And that starts from the first bounce.

Despite having to share some of the limelight with towering forward Kurt Tippett, it is the Buddy show in Sydney and that means the bevy of gun midfielders the Swans possess – guys like Luke Parker, Josh Kennedy and Daniel Hannebery – will be looking to hit up the athletic beast at first opportunity.

Franklin is the red hot $6.50 favourite to boot the first goal of the match.

It is something he tends to do with regularity and, given that he is the most talented player on the ground, on his home deck, he should get first purchase.

And why the hell wouldn’t you back him in?

The Budster has slammed through 37 goals through the first nine matches, with some pundits tipping him to reach the magical century mark in 2016.

The way he is going, he could do it and slotting the first one in this match would get him one step closer to the mark and also win those who follow our tips money.

If the Budster isn’t your cup of tea, how about North’s Jarrad Waite? The only other player in single figures for the first goal, at $8, Waite has kicked at least one major in each of his games this season and, despite cooling off slightly after a superb start to the year, he is still the focal point for the Roos.

If you’re hunting something a little more gaudy, you could do worse than gun North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein ($23).

Goldstein had been off the boiler for a couple of weeks, but returned to form with a bang against Carlton on the weekend with three goals. He has bags of five and three this season, so you know he knows where the big sticks are.

A decent Sydney outsider could be Ben McGlynn. Like Waite, the pocket dynamo has kicked at least one goal in every game and loves to get forward and impact on the scoreboard.

His $14 quote would make for a nice return.

Sydney vs. North Melbourne first goal scorer market

Lance Franklin ($6.50)

Jarrad Waite ($8)

Ben Brown ($10)

Isaac Heeney ($12)

Drew Petrie ($12)

Gary Rohan ($12)

Kurt Tippett ($12)

Lindsay Thomas ($14)

Ben McGlynn ($14)

Brent Harvey ($14)

Robin Nahas ($17)

George Hewett ($17)

Callum Sinclair ($23)

Todd Goldstein ($23)

Tom Mitchell ($26)

Luke Parker ($26)

Jack Ziebell ($29)

Farren Ray ($31)

Sam Gibson ($31)

Nick Dal Santo ($34)

Ben Cunnington ($34)

Kieren Jack ($34)

Daniel Hannebery ($34)

Trent Dumont ($34)

Harry Cunningham ($34)

Josh P. Kennedy ($41)

Jake Lloyd ($41)

Jarrad McVeigh ($41)

Andrew Swallow ($41)

Jamie Macmillan ($41)

Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au

Betting predictions

Match winner: Sydney Swans ($1.38 with CrownBet.com.au)

Line betting: North Melbourne Kangaroos +20.5 ($1.92 with sportsbet.com.au)

Contenders or pretenders? We will find out plenty more about North Melbourne at the end of this Friday night clash for the ages. We have decided to believe the hype and think that this match will be a very even affair. But the Roos’ winning run is still set to end at nine against the Swans. That brutal midfield we mentioned earlier has an air of class and toughness that North’s men could only aspire to achieve. There are two keys here. The Swans’ Bondi Millionaires and the Roos gun ruckman. If the red and white midfield can read enough of the dominant Goldstein’s expertly directed taps and if Franklin and Tippett can get on top, the Swannies should be able to pull this one off on their home deck. It is a tough trip at the best of times, but we feel like North at least has the form to keep this one close. We think this one is about a three goal match. They certainly would not want to get blown out. Otherwise it is back to the drawing board. And imagine how badly the media will lose it?